Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/02-18%20QA/Should%20evolution%20be%20taught%20in%20schools.mp3
Video:
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Author Archives: Chaitanya Charan das
Should evolution be taught in schools?
Gita 16.14 Greed makes the covetous murderous
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2016.14%20Greed%20makes%20the%20covetous%20murderous.mp3
The post Gita 16.14 Greed makes the covetous murderous a…
If everything is under karma, are terrorists wrongdoers or simply instruments for punishing wrongdoers?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/If%20everything%20is%20under%20karma%2C%20are%20terrorists%20wrongdoers%20or%20simply%20instruments%20for%20punishing%20wrongdoers.mp3
The post If everything is un…
Mind It – Understanding how the modes affect our emotions, behaviors and relationships (3)
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Mind It 3 – Choosing healthy response to problems
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[Seminar at ISKCON, Chowpatty, Mumbai]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/02-18%20classes/Mind%20It%203%20-%20Choosing%20healthy%20response%20to%20problems.mp3
PPT:
Mind it 3 choosing healthy response to problems from Chaitanya Charan
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Happiness is found not in sensation but in absorption
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[Sunday feast class at ISKCON, Chowpatty, Mumbai]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/02-18%20classes/Happiness%20is%20found%20not%20in%20sensation%20but%20in%20absorption.mp3
Podcast Summa…
How does prayer affect karma?
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Answer Podcast
https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/How%20does%20prayer%20affect%20karma.mp3
Transcription :
Transcribed by: Suresh Gupta
Edited by: Raji Nachiappan
Question: How does prayer affect karma?
Answer: Karma is the mechanical process of the law of action and reaction. God is not the cause of this system. God exists beyond the system and he oversees the system. The purpose of karma is not simply punishment or even disciplining, rather it is reformation. If somebody is willing to reform, then there is no need for punishment. Even in our judicial system, if someone is sentenced to ten years of imprisonment, but if they behave well, then the sentence can be decreased. Similarly, the principle of karma is that an action will beget a reaction. However, there is a purpose to the system, it is not mechanical. The purpose is important and the purpose of the system of karma is to help us live in harmony with our essential spiritual nature which is to become good as well as godly human beings. To the extent we do that, then karma does not need to operate.
How God can intervene amidst the principle of karma can be understood by an example. Suppose there is a strict teacher and then there is a student who has not done his homework. Since the teacher is very strict, the mother knows that the teacher is going to punish the child for not having done the homework. The mother does not want the child to be beaten, at the same time the mother does not want the child to be lethargic and irresponsible. Therefore, what the mother does is, when the child goes to school, the mother puts a thick glove on the child’s hand. Now, when the teacher punishes, the stick will hit the child’s hand but it will not hurt the child, because the gloves are offering the necessary protection. Similarly, the mother is like Lord Krishna, the teacher is like the material nature and we are like that errant child. By our karma, or by not doing our homework, we are supposed to get punished. However, when we pray to Krishna, then the prayer becomes like a glove for us. The distresses of the world may come but they will not hurt us as much, because of our consciousness and absorption in Krishna.
Mac-chittah sarva-durgani mat-prasadat tarishyasi – If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditioned life by My grace (Gita 18.58).
Many times, when problems arise, it is not so much the problem that troubles us, but it is our mind which goes on hyper-imaginative drive. The mind thinks about all that which can go wrong, that troubles us more. Therefore, it is not the reality that hurts us, it is the resentment of reality that hurts us much more. If we were to go for a picnic and just one day before we get flu, then getting flu is not very painful. However, when our mind beats up about why this happened, such resentment hurts us more than the […]
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Gita 16.13 Let the mind’s chariot take us where we want to go, not where it wants to go
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2016.13%20Let%20the%20mind%E2%80%99s%20chariot%20take%20us%20where%20we%20want%20to%20go%2C%20not%20where%20it%20wants%20to%20go.mp3
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Gita 16.12 Sensual desires are ropes of enslavement, not roads to enjoyment
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2016.12%20Sensual%20desires%20are%20ropes%20of%20enslavement%2C%20not%20roads%20to%20enjoyment.mp3
The post Gita …
Why are there many religions – can we believe in more than one religion?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/Why%20are%20there%20many%20religions%20-%20can%20we%20believe%20in%20more%20than%20one%20religion.mp3
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Mind It 2 – How unrealistic expectations hamper our relationships
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[Seminar at ISKCON, Chowpatty, Mumbai]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/02-18%20classes/Mind%20It%202%20-%20How%20unrealistic%20expectations%20hamper%20our%20relationships.mp3
Podcast Summary
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/02-18%20classes/Summary%20-%20Mind%20It%202%20-%20How%20unrealistic%20expectations%20hamper%20our%20relationships.mp3
Video:
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Mind It 1 – Understanding the modes, mind and emotions
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[Seminar at ISKCON, Chowpatty, Mumbai]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/02-18%20classes/Mind%20it%201%20-%20Understanding%20the%20modes%2C%20mind%20and%20emotions.mp3
Podcast Summary
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/02-18%20classes/Summary%20-%20Mind%20It%201%20-%20Understanding%20the%20modes%2C%20mind%20and%20emotions.mp3
Video:
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Krishna is knowledge, object of knowledge and objective of knowledge
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[Srimad-Bhagavatam class at ISKCON, Chowpatty, Mumbai]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/02-18%20classes/Krishna%20is%20knowledge%2C%20object%20of%20knowledge%20and%20objective%20of%20knowledge….
Teaching evolution in schools: what science explains and what explains science
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An Indian Union Minister of State recently triggered a furor by stating that evolution is unproven scientifically and shouldn’t be taught in schools.
Before examining the tenability of this statement, we need to understand what is implied by the word evolution. It refers to different things in different contexts.
In today’s public discourse, evolution is used in three broad senses:
Adaptation of species
Emergence of new species
All-explaining naturalistic ideology
Adaptation of species: Evolution can refer to the variation that happens within species as they adapt to their environment by developing certain features. For example, flora and fauna in deserts develop mechanisms to store water. Such adaptation is a well-documented phenomenon that doesn’t need to be doubted or disputed. Nature has endowed living beings with the capacity to adapt to their environment – in that sense, living beings do evolve. Almost all the hard evidence provided by science textbooks for evolution is for such biological adaptation, which can be termed as micro-evolution.
Emergence of new species: Evolution also refers to the mechanism by which one species changes into another – a phenomenon that can be termed macro-evolution. Whereas micro-evolution connotes a mechanism for the survival of the fittest, macro-evolution connotes a mechanism for the arrival of the fittest, or, in general, for the emergence of any entirely new species. The notion that incremental variation within a species can lead to the formation of another species – that such gradual change explains the origin of all species – is a gigantic leap in speculative inference that begs for evidence. This change is believed to happen so gradually that it can’t be observed, so proponents of macro-evolution turn to the fossil record as evidence. However, the fossil record doesn’t provide much help, as is admitted by prominent evolutionists themselves.
“The curious thing is that there is a consistency about the fossil gaps; the fossils are missing in all the important places.” – Francis Hitching, The Neck of the Giraffe or Where Darwin Went Wrong
“Paleontologists have paid an enormous price for Darwin’s argument. We fancy ourselves as the only true students of life’s history, yet to preserve our favored account of evolution by natural selection we view our data as so bad that we almost never see the very process we profess to study.” – Stephen J Gould, The Panda’s Thumb
Of course, being evolutionists by belief, they don’t let the paucity of evidence challenge their belief – instead, they come up with new theories. Whether those new theories actually address the problem remains debatable.
Nonetheless, evolution has many aggressive proponents who try to shut down any debate by labelling evolution’s critics as anti-scientific fanatics who want to take the world back to the Stone Age. Embarrassingly for such evolutionists, many of those who question evolution are credentialed scientists. And not just a handful, but several hundreds, as is evident from the list at dissentfromdarwin.org. It has over 800 scientists, with the number continuously increasing.
As a society, we value freedom of expression. So, shouldn’t we value the freedom of expression of those scientists […]
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How can we avoid becoming discouraged on seeing that the modes are pulling us down?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/How%20can%20we%20avoid%20becoming%20discouraged%20on%20seeing%20that%20the%20modes%20are%20pulling%20us%20down.mp3
The post How can we avoid becoming discouraged o…
Gita 16.11 We make our beliefs and our beliefs make us
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2016.11%20We%20make%20our%20beliefs%20and%20our%20beliefs%20make%20us.mp3
The post Gita 16.11 We make our beliefs…
If I want to come first in my class, am I being attached to results?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/02-18%20QA/If%20I%20want%20to%20come%20first%20in%20my%20class%2C%20am%20I%20being%20attached%20to%20results.mp3
Video:
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What is spirituality?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/What%20is%20spirituality.mp3
The post What is spirituality? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Gita 16.10 Taking shelter of lust amidst problems is like taking shelter of kidnappers when threatened by thieves
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2016.10%20Taking%20shelter%20of%20lust%20amidst%20problems%20is%20like%20taking%20shelter%20of%20kidnappers%20when…
If everyone is meant to be spiritual, why are so few people attracted to spirituality?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/If%20everyone%20is%20meant%20to%20be%20spiritual%2C%20why%20are%20so%20few%20people%20attracted%20to%20spirituality.mp3
The post If everyone is meant to be spiritu…
Gita 16.09 The ungodly are born for destructive action unless they do drastic course correction
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2016.09%20The%20ungodly%20are%20born%20for%20destructive%20action%20unless%20they%20do%20drastic%20course%20correc…
How our mind messes our relationships (2)
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What happens to a person who commits suicide while remembering Krishna?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/What%20happens%20to%20a%20person%20who%20commits%20suicide%20while%20remembering%20Krishna.mp3
Video:
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How can we seek higher purpose when things are going right, not just when things start going wrong?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/How%20can%20we%20seek%20higher%20purpose%20when%20things%20are%20going%20right%2C%20not%20just%20when%20things%20start%20going%20wrong.mp3
The post How can we seek…
Gita 16.08 From atheism to hedonism is a natural slide
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2016.08%20From%20atheism%20to%20hedonism%20is%20a%20natural%20slide.mp3
The post Gita 16.08 From atheism to hedon…
What causes a midlife crisis – can devotees suffer from it?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/What%20causes%20a%20midlife%20crisis%20-%20can%20devotees%20suffer%20from%20it.mp3
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Should evolution be taught in schools?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/Should%20evolution%20be%20taught%20in%20schools.mp3
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How can devotees learn to be satisfied with whatever services they can do?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/How%20can%20devotees%20learn%20to%20be%20satisfies%20with%20whatever%20services%20they%20can%20do.mp3
The post How can devotees learn to be satisfied with whatever…
Gita 16.07 Observe others actions not to condemn, but to help
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2016.07%20Observe%20others%20actions%20not%20to%20condemn%2C%20but%20to%20help.mp3
The post Gita 16.07 Observe ot…
Gaura Purnima lecture 2016 – Transcription uploaded
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https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2016/03/gaura-purnima-lecture-lord-chaitanya-manifested-the-three-internal-reasons-for-his-descent-in-his-ratha-yatra-lila//
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Appreciating Nityananda Prabhu’s mercy, devotional ambitiousness and humility
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[Nityananda Prabhu appearance day talk in Mumbai, India]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/01-18%20classes/Appreciating%20Nityananda%20Prabhu%27s%20mercy%2C%20devotional%20ambitiousness%20and%20humility.mp3
Video:
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Spiritualizing our relationships – Hindi
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[Hindi Sunday feast class at ISKCON, Mira Road, Mumbai, India]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/01-18%20classes/Spiritualizing%20our%20relationships%20-%20Hindi.mp3
Podcast Summary
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/01-18%20classes/Summary%20-%20Spiritualizing%20our%20relationships%20-%20Hindi.mp3
Video:
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Maintaining balance amidst disruptive emotions and situations
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[English Sunday feast class at ISKCON, Mira Road, Mumbai, India]
Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/desiretree/2018%20classes/01-18%20classes/Maintaining%20balance%20amidst%20disruptive%20emotions%20and%20situations.mp3
&…
Gita 16.06 Knowing the inclination of the road where our car is is education, not condemnation
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2016.06%20Knowing%20the%20inclination%20of%20the%20road%20where%20our%20car%20is%20is%20education%2C%20not%20conde…
Devotees who succeed in getting external results are looked up to in our movement – what to do?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/Devotees%20who%20sucked%20in%20getting%20external%20results%20are%20looked%20up%20to%20in%20our%20movement%20-%20what%20to%20do.mp3
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Gita 16.05 Acknowledging where a car’s wheels are pointing is not accusing the car driver
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2016.05%20Acknowledging%20where%20a%20car%27s%20wheels%20are%20pointing%20is%20not%20accusing%20the%20car%20driver.mp3
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What can brahmacharis do if they feel choked in their ashram?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/What%20can%20brahmacharis%20do%20if%20they%20feel%20choked%20in%20their%20ashram.mp3
The post What can brahmacharis do if they feel choked in their ashram? appeare…
Gita 16.03 Giving appropriate honor promotes harmony, demanding excessive honor disrupts harmony
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2016.03%20Giving%20appropriate%20honor%20promotes%20harmony%2C%20demanding%20excessive%20honor%20disrupts%20harmon…
How is our intelligence partly our friend and partly our enemy?
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Answer Podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/CCD%20QA/2018%20QA/01-18%20QA/How%20is%20our%20intelligence%20partly%20our%20friend%20and%20partly%20our%20enemy.mp3
The post How is our intelligence partly our friend and partly our enemy? app…
Gita 16.02 Our godliness needs to be seen in our harmonious interactions with others
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Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/audio/ccd%20classes/Lecture%20series/Gita%20verse-by-verse/Gita%2016.02%20Our%20godliness%20needs%20to%20be%20seen%20our%20harmonious%20interactions%20with%20others.mp3
The post…